Sex Offenders Aren't People (moral, punishment, sex, moral, Article)

YamiB. · #1 09-08-2006, 01:41 PM

http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?s=5322047
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?s=5315793
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs...290360/-1/NEWS

There seems to have been a recent spurt of increasing pressure on people marked as sex offenders. I assume this another one of the ignorant moves by politicans due to the coming elections.

I can't find the article right now, but I know I have heard of laws that prevent convicted sex offenders from living near a bus stop. The law functioned in a way that if the bus top moved, which they often do, and it was then too close to the sex offender then they would have to move. This whole thing made me think that I really do disagree with the whole sex offender regestration idea. For one it is punishing people after they are supposed to have served their time in jail. There is also the fact that though people think of pedophile when they hear sex offender that there are many things on the list that are much less harmful.

MaddLlama · #2 09-08-2006, 01:52 PM

I think they need to differentiate between different types of sex offenders. If there was a pedophile who wanted to live at a bus stop, to me that's different from a man who got caught with a prostitute wanting to buy that house.

YamiB. · #3 09-08-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaddLlama

I think they need to differentiate between different types of sex offenders. If there was a pedophile who wanted to live at a bus stop, to me that's different from a man who got caught with a prostitute wanting to buy that house.

Do you think that a man has been previously convicted of molesting a child should have to move if a bus stop is moved too close to his house?

BrandonE · #4 09-08-2006, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamiB.

I can't find the article right now, but I know I have heard of laws that prevent convicted sex offenders from living near a bus stop. The law functioned in a way that if the bus top moved, which they often do, and it was then too close to the sex offender then they would have to move.

That would be my lovely state. I'm with you in that the whole "sex offender registry" thing needs to be looked at very closely. As the law is written now, a 18yo male that is convicted of statutory rape for bedding his 15yo girlfriend must register for life as a sex offender. While the morality of that act may well be in question, IMO I hardly think it qualifies one for a "scarlet letter" for life.

As far as the bus stop thing, the courts put a hold on that due to the inadequate definition of bus stop location. I think the counties are in some period where they must definitively locate all bus stops right now, and that period ends soon.

Ryan2065 · #5 09-08-2006, 02:07 PM

I have conflicted thoughts on this...

While the registration of sex offenders can be considered a good idea, you shouldn't be listed as a sex offender for life. There should be a few year period...

This doesn't mean that a person couldn't go and figure out who is and who isn't a sex offender... As far as I know if you are convicted of a crime anyone who goes to the court office can find out. I can't find it right now, but there at least used to be a searchable database of all the people convicted of a crime in Wisconsin... This varied from traffic violations to murder.

So while I do feel for those sex offenders who are not going to commit any more crimes in their lifetime, I also feel for those people who now live by sex offenders who are going to strike again. So a happy medium would probably be listing the person as a sex offender based on the crime... The man rapes 10 women, listed for life... A 21 year old having sex with a 16 year old... Well its "technically" rape but defently nothing to the degree of forceable rape and I don't think this person should go on the list...

I know my cousin got involved with a 15 year old when he was 21... she had a baby when she was 16 and her parents forced him and her to move from Ohio to Flordia with the girl or they would charge him with the underage rape thing... She is now 20 and he is 26 and they are still together. (he wasn't charged with anything, but he could have been)

I'm not saying what he did was right, but being listed as a sex offender for dating a girl who is technically too young to me is a pretty harsh punishment.

Ryan2065 · #6 09-08-2006, 02:11 PM

Actually with the searchable sex offender database it does list what they were convicted of...
http://www.familywatchdog.us/
You can put in your address and click search then a map will pop up with a dot for each sex offender in your area... Click on the dot you get their name, picture, address and a list of their convictions.

Fun stuff! Hurray for big brother!

**Edit** I was looking at it and sometimes it even gives the age of the victim... Just saw one for aggrivated sexual abuse and it said victim 13-16

MaddLlama · #7 09-08-2006, 02:18 PM

Wow, that's creepy. I get 43 in my area.

Ryan2065 · #8 09-08-2006, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaddLlama

Wow, that's creepy. I get 43 in my area.

The ones who look at child porn are also listed there.

Not saying its not bad or anything, just not the same as physical rape or aggrivated sexual assult

Booko · #9 09-08-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamiB.

There seems to have been a recent spurt of increasing pressure on people marked as sex offenders. I assume this another one of the ignorant moves by politicans due to the coming elections.

That would be a good assumption.

Quote:

I can't find the article right now, but I know I have heard of laws that prevent convicted sex offenders from living near a bus stop. The law functioned in a way that if the bus top moved, which they often do, and it was then too close to the sex offender then they would have to move. This whole thing made me think that I really do disagree with the whole sex offender regestration idea. For one it is punishing people after they are supposed to have served their time in jail. There is also the fact that though people think of pedophile when they hear sex offender that there are many things on the list that are much less harmful.

There was a law in the Georgia legislature being discussed within the last month or so that would effectively make it illegal to live just about anywhere in the state. You couldn't live within a certain distance of a school or a school bus stop, which meant pretty much any city or town was out, and many rural areas as well.

And Maddllama makes an excellent point about distinguishing between types of sex offenders. Personally, I think there is no reason in the world why an 18 yr old that's caught with his 17 year old girlfriend, especially *these days* should be branded a sex offender the rest of his life. That's ridiculous.

My sister-in-law was beside herself this summer when she found out that her son was crossing the street to use the neighbor's pool, realized that his swim trunks were on backwards, looked around, *sorta* ducked behind a tree (he's a bit impetuous, my nephew), dropped 'em and turned 'em around the right way.

If he'd been seen and the law called in on it, he could've been branded a "sex offender" for the rest of his life, for the horrid crime of being too big a dingbat to wait until he got into the neighbor's breezeway to fix his trunks.

I think we need to revisit who goes on a sex offenders list. I'd be happy to let the judge decide at sentencing, except for the most serious offenses like rape and that sort of thing.